The present invention relates to non-motorized vehicles, particularly for use by children.
Vehicles for use by children customarily have two or three wheels. It is very difficult for small children to learn to operate a two wheeled vehicle, and three wheeled vehicles have been found, in practice, to be somewhat unsafe; if the rider should travel over an uneven surface or attempt to turn too sharply, there is a tendency for such a vehicle to tip over.
Typically, the front wheel of a child's tricycle is associated with foot pedals which are located to either side of the wheel and when the front wheel is turned for steering purposes, the rider's feet must assume awkward positions in order to remain in contact with the pedals while avoiding contact with the front wheel itself. If the vehicle should tip over, the rider's feet will impact the ground, and injury is likely.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,524,987 describes a hand-powered tricycle having a front wheel which is steered by means of the rider's feet and two levers arranged to be gripped by the rider's hands, to be moved in a reciprocating fashion, and linked to the rear wheels of the vehicle to rotate the rear wheels and thus propel the vehicle.